Hotel workers return to work after salary top-up
Management promises permanent contracts, other perks at Excellence Oyster Bay
Published:Wednesday | November 20, 2024 | 12:11 AMAdrian Frater/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Workers at Excellence Oyster Bay in Trelawny returned to work yesterday after the hotel’s management agree to more favourable working conditions and better remuneration.
The staff walked off the job on Monday morning, demanding better working conditions and better wages.
Among the terms of the settlement is a range of new benefits for the workers, starting with a 10 per cent increase in salary effective immediately and payable at the next fortnight. It also made a similar percentage increase to gratuity payments.
“The company will give all employees the choice between (i) a working week of 5 days on and 2 days off [and] (ii) a working week of 6 days on and 1 day off,” reads a section of the terms, which were seen by The Gleaner.
Those with perfect attendance records each fortnight are also to be paid a J$3,140 bonus.
The hotel promised to provide all staff of three years or more with permanent contracts as of next week and to issue all workers with new uniforms early next month.
NEW POLICY
“The company will facilitate salary deductions from employees’ loans granted by financial institutions or businesses previously approved by Excellence,” the hotel added, further pledging to pay “for all overtime hours worked” and to improve direct communication between management and workers.
During Monday’s protest, the workers accused the hotel’s management of being indifferent to their concerns.
“You might see us smiling with the guests and pretending that ‘Jamaica, No Problem’, but we are suffering under bad treatment, disrespect, and low wages,” one worker told The Gleaner.
Over recent weeks, hotel workers at Round Hill and Royalton Negril, in Hanover; and Secrets and Breathless resorts and Iberostar, in St James, have staged protests demanding increased wages and better working conditions. Normality has returned to all four properties after the various managements agreed to address the workers’ grievances.
PM’S COMMENTS
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said he understands the workers’ frustration and expressed a desire to see their remuneration and their benefits grow in proportion with the growth and development of the tourism industry.
However, in a statement yesterday, which was released prior to the settlement at Excellence Oyster Bay, Opposition Leader Mark Golding blamed the unrest in the sector on poor governance and a failure by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett to address critical issues affecting the sector.
“For too long, the minister of tourism has neglected the critical needs of the local industry. The high cost of living, inadequate transportation, and poor road conditions have placed tremendous pressure on hotel operators and workers, bringing the situation to a boiling point,” Golding said.
While there is now an uneasy calm over the tourism sector, stakeholders are said to be worried that other properties could face similar protests with winter tourist season fast approaching.